DEER SEASONS PROPOSED FOR 2007-08
In an effort to balance all public views on the direction of the state's deer management program, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a slate of 2007-08 deer seasons.
The public may offer comment on all proposed 2007-08 seasons and bag limits, as well as other Board actions, between now and the Board's next meeting, April 17-18, at which time the Board will finalize seasons and bag limits for 2007-08. Also, the Board will take action on setting antlerless deer license allocations for the 22 WMUs at its April meeting. Deer harvest estimates for the 2006-07 seasons will be available in mid-March.
Antler restrictions will continue unchanged for the 2007-08 seasons. Specifically:
-- In WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 2D, hunters will be required to abide by the four points on one side antler restriction;
-- In all other WMUs, hunters will be required to abide by a three points on one side antler restriction; and
-- Statewide, all junior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle, mentored youth hunters and active duty U.S. Armed Services personnel may abide by the old antler restrictions of one antler of three or more inches in length or one antler with at least two points.
The most significant changes proposed by the Board for the 2007-08 deer seasons focus on implementing portions of the agency's Plan to Reduce Deer-Human Conflicts in Developed Areas, which was developed with public input and adopted by the agency last year. These changes are designed to increase hunter harvest in the state's three most highly developed WMUs - WMU 2B, 5C and 5D - in the state's southwestern and southeastern corners.
Among the changes given preliminary approval for WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D are:
* Archery seasons for antlerless deer only will be held Sept. 15-28, and Nov. 12-24, in addition to the statewide season dates;
* Archery deer season for antlerless deer only in WMU 2B from Dec. 10-22;
* Antlerless deer hunting with any legal sporting arm in WMU 2B will be Dec. 26-Jan.26; and
* Antlerless deer hunting with any legal sporting arm in WMUs 5C and 5D will be Dec. 10-22 and Dec. 26-Jan. 26.
Following is an overview of the remaining deer seasons that were given preliminary approval by the Board today:
* A concurrent antlered/antlerless rifle deer season from Nov. 26-Dec. 8. To harvest an antlerless deer during the concurrent seasons, hunters must possess a valid, WMU-specific antlerless deer license for the unit in which they are hunting or a DMAP permit.
* A firearms antlerless deer season from Oct. 18-20, for junior and senior license holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) holders, or Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Services, who possess the appropriate WMU-specific antlerless deer license or DMAP permit.
Also included are persons who have reached or will reach age 65 in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license, or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706 of the Game and Wildlife Code.
* A muzzleloader season for antlerless deer from Oct.13-20. The flintlock muzzleloader season, which is set for Dec. 26-Jan. 12, continues to be an antlered or antlerless season for hunters with primitive flintlock ignition firearms, provided the hunter possesses the appropriate license(s).
In other action, the Board proposed extending shooting hours for most hunting seasons, including all deer seasons, by one-half hour. If approved in April, all deer hunting season shooting hours will end at one-half hour after sunset.
As part of the 2007-08 deer season frameworks, the Board proposed to continue to permit the use of crossbows statewide for hunting bear and elk and during any of the firearms deer seasons - including the regular two-week concurrent deer season, the early muzzleloader season and the late flintlock season - and in all deer seasons in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, which are the most urbanized areas in the state.
Statewide, hunters using crossbows during the early muzzleloader season or late flintlock season must have a muzzleloader stamp in addition to their general hunting license and appropriate WMU antlerless deer license. Late-season hunters with a muzzleloader stamp, but using a crossbow, are permitted to take an antlered deer or an antlerless deer anywhere in the state with their unused antlered deer tag, just like other late-season flintlock hunters.
In WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, hunters planning to use a crossbow during the archery seasons must purchase an archery stamp in addition to their general hunting license and appropriate WMU antlerless deer license.
Disabled hunters must obtain a permanent or temporary disabled hunter permit to use a crossbow during the statewide early archery season outside of WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D.
The Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) that addresses landowner deer management objectives within Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) remains in place.
"DMAP provides a tool to harvest antlerless deer on specific properties to lessen deer impacts for landowners and the habitat," said Calvin W. DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director.
In other action, the Board proposed increasing the fees for DMAP permits from $6 for residents and $26 for nonresidents to $10 for residents and $35 for nonresidents.
Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in the Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and furtaking license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations and sportsmen's clubs.
The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals derived from State Game Lands.

ORIGINAL: padeer

i live and hunt in 5c. there is a major deer problem, but i think the solution is not more hunting, but stop building so many damn houses. i know for a fact that i can go out any day at any time and see deer where i hunt, but most of the people i know who bowhunt let does walk untill later in the year. i dont see any reason for starting bow season sooner. but the two weeks between bow and gun can seem like forever.